Starting all the way back in 1983, radon has gotten a lot of press for being dangerous for you health. The general premise was that radon can creep out of the earth's outer layer and into the bottom of your home, spreading into your air--becoming airborne, and posing a significant risk to you and your loved ones. It can get serious when not testing and not kept in check.
For all the attention that the entire Radon scare received, it was entirely concerned with airborne Radon. Now, don't get me wrong, airborne radon can cause serious problems for all sorts of people, but it's only part of the problem. The overwhelmingly ignored problem of waterborne radon has finally caught some of the attention of the public, and now that households are testing their water and realizing they are still at risk, substantial action is being taken to protect against this danger. The question remains: how can households protect themselves from waterborne radon?
Much like its airborne counterpart, waterborne radon's first step in rising happens deep in the bowels of the earth. Because many peoples water comes from underground wells, aquifers, or groundwater sources, much of the drinking water in America is at risk for this danger. Once radon has taken hold in a water source, it is unlikely to emerge from any natural process.
Radon in the water can find its way out and into the air at any moment, so having built up radon coming in through the tap can be harmful in all sorts of ways. During showering, dish washing, and laundry washing radon can sneak out of the water used in these activities. The EPA has suggested in studies that anywhere from 2% to 5% of household airborne radon came in through the water supply. Although waterborne radon has seen little press, the EPA has published that anywhere past 4 pCi/L of radon in water is considered dangerous, and should be addressed within the soonest possible convenience.
Several elements such as radon are radioactive, and this means that at any moment (once in a half life, actually) the particle will bust open, spewing radioactive particles into their surroundings. Realizing the difficulties of testing requires an elementary knowledge of the atomic structure and alpha and beta radiation, but for our purposes, it suffice it to say that radiation is easier detected in air then it is in water. The best way to test for radon is to get a sample of the water in question and rush it to a lab. This lab can run several kinds of probing tests on the sample, and in order to get good readings, they need to do this before the radon decays any further.
If radon is found to be present, the best way to get rid of it is aeration.
Home aeration systems expose incoming water to an air filled tray that gives all the radon a chance to bounce out of the water supply before it enters the house.
Spray aeration systems do a similar thing, but use a nozzle to mist incoming water into a huge tank. Once the water is misted, it gets a much greater surface area, and is much more prone to letting go of its radon particles. These particles, once in the air, can be blown away into a vent to carry it off.
Packed column aeration units use the geometry of a pillar to increase surface area of the water flowing through it. A blower then blows air across the water and leaches out any radon. This radon-air water softener is then carried by the pressure gradient, away from the water.
All methods of radon filtration work, and they can all decrease the likelihood of radon related health problems. If you know you have high radon levels in you home, act before you put your loved ones at risk.
For all the attention that the entire Radon scare received, it was entirely concerned with airborne Radon. Now, don't get me wrong, airborne radon can cause serious problems for all sorts of people, but it's only part of the problem. The overwhelmingly ignored problem of waterborne radon has finally caught some of the attention of the public, and now that households are testing their water and realizing they are still at risk, substantial action is being taken to protect against this danger. The question remains: how can households protect themselves from waterborne radon?
Much like its airborne counterpart, waterborne radon's first step in rising happens deep in the bowels of the earth. Because many peoples water comes from underground wells, aquifers, or groundwater sources, much of the drinking water in America is at risk for this danger. Once radon has taken hold in a water source, it is unlikely to emerge from any natural process.
Radon in the water can find its way out and into the air at any moment, so having built up radon coming in through the tap can be harmful in all sorts of ways. During showering, dish washing, and laundry washing radon can sneak out of the water used in these activities. The EPA has suggested in studies that anywhere from 2% to 5% of household airborne radon came in through the water supply. Although waterborne radon has seen little press, the EPA has published that anywhere past 4 pCi/L of radon in water is considered dangerous, and should be addressed within the soonest possible convenience.
Several elements such as radon are radioactive, and this means that at any moment (once in a half life, actually) the particle will bust open, spewing radioactive particles into their surroundings. Realizing the difficulties of testing requires an elementary knowledge of the atomic structure and alpha and beta radiation, but for our purposes, it suffice it to say that radiation is easier detected in air then it is in water. The best way to test for radon is to get a sample of the water in question and rush it to a lab. This lab can run several kinds of probing tests on the sample, and in order to get good readings, they need to do this before the radon decays any further.
If radon is found to be present, the best way to get rid of it is aeration.
Home aeration systems expose incoming water to an air filled tray that gives all the radon a chance to bounce out of the water supply before it enters the house.
Spray aeration systems do a similar thing, but use a nozzle to mist incoming water into a huge tank. Once the water is misted, it gets a much greater surface area, and is much more prone to letting go of its radon particles. These particles, once in the air, can be blown away into a vent to carry it off.
Packed column aeration units use the geometry of a pillar to increase surface area of the water flowing through it. A blower then blows air across the water and leaches out any radon. This radon-air water softener is then carried by the pressure gradient, away from the water.
All methods of radon filtration work, and they can all decrease the likelihood of radon related health problems. If you know you have high radon levels in you home, act before you put your loved ones at risk.
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Read more about filters to remove fluoride and filters that use carbon to learn how else you can make sure your water is prisitne and safe.